WHAT DO I GET FOR MY MEMBERSHIP OF $25 EACH YEAR?

A message from the President

  1. Community: Your membership connects you to a diverse community of people that share two things in common: Balanta ancestry and a desire to recover from ethnocide in the United States by learning and preserving Balanta culture.

  2. Institution: Your membership means that you have an institution, defined as a large-scale social arrangement that is stable and predictable, created and maintained to serve the needs of society. that represents you interest as a Balanta descendant in the United States and in this world.

  3. Opportunity: Your membership gives you the opportunity to contribute to the development of this institution and the welfare of Balanta people around the world through serving and performing meaningful work on various committees that organize and centralize the resources of the institution and its membership.

  4. Education: Your membership supports the day to day operation of the institution, enabling it to collect and compile vast, and often obscure information related to Balanta people and produce the various books, articles and videos promoting all aspects of Balanta history, culture, language and current events.

  5. Access: there are thousands of grants and millions of dollars available for cultural, artistic, historic, social, educational, research and other projects. Have you got an idea or project that needs funds? As a member, you can write your own project proposal and use BBHAGSIA’s 501c3 status to get access to grant funding.

  6. News: Through the BBHAGSIA private Facebook Group and Messenger chat, members get informed of important news concerning Balanta people and Guinea Bissau, as well as discussion of world events from a Balanta perspective.

  7. Philanthropy and Development: BBHAGSIA engages in all kinds of philanthropy and development in the Balanta homelands. We have distributed books, food and medical supplies. We have employed, in various micro-enterprises, various Balanta individuals while supporting three soccer teams and providing educational opportunities.

  8. Diplomatic Representation: BBHAGSIA has been recognized by the Guinea Bissau Ministry of Tourism, Ministry of Youth and Sport, Ministry of Culture, and Ministry of Foreign Affairs as the originator and leader of its Decade of Return Initiative. Through BBHAGSIA, members are returning to their ancestral homeland and being received by the government. Naturalization applications are now being processes and citizenship in Guinea Bissau is being made possible through the efforts of BBHAGSIA. In addition, the President of BBHAGSIA serves on a committee that is advising the African Union and writing proposals on the framework of its engagement through the African Union 6th Region Diaspora Initiative.

  9. Vision: through its Five Year Plan, its Liberation Strategy, and the Heritage Corridor Project, BBHAGSIA provides members a clear path toward achieving self determination, autonomy within the United States, and Repatriation to Guinea Bissau.

  10. Pride: BBHAGSIA is well respected around the world in international forums. Its President is a member of the Inclusive Policy Lab of the UNESCO E-team for the People of African Descent and the Sustainable Development Goals. Through its President, BBHAGSIA has in the last year alone, presented to the Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent at the United Nations; presented to the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) of the African Union; made a presentation, alongside H.E. Amb. (Dr.) Arikana Chihombori-Quao, entitled The Lineage Restoration Movement and the Future of Africa to the Plenary Session on Economic Emancipation and the Black Lives Matter Movement at the 1st African Diaspora Summit in Nairobi, Kenya organized by The Africa Diaspora Alliance and the Kenya Diaspora Alliance; and many other forums and podcasts around the world; and attended the African Union Workshop on Transformational Leadership Across Africa. For this and all of the above, members can take great Pride that BBHAGSIA is helping its members take its place in world affairs.

The above represent a tremendous value for $25.

Now, some may say that non-members get most of these benefits, too, since they can purchase the books, read the articles for free, and benefit from BBHAGSIA’s global reputation and diplomatic work. This is true. But like other great institutions, say National Public Radio (NPR) or World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the entire nation of listeners and the world population in general benefit from their work. The point, however, is that the work is enabled by people who support the organization and feel a sense of responsibility to enable others to do the work that they cannot through financial contributions in the form of membership.

The budget for BBHAGSIA for the upcoming year is just over $190,000 but the revenue from last year was just over $61,000. That means a lot of voluntary work is performed as in-kind contribution to BBHAGSIA. It is membership dues that pay for the basic things like office rent, internet, phones, transportation, office equipment, etc. It is membership dues that provide the foundation for BBHAGSIA operations.

Members have the satisfaction of making a worthy contribution!

for more information about membership, email bbhagsiamembership@gmail.com